Claymont's Tyler Warner wins state wrestling title

It was no ordinary tiebreaker. It was an ultimate tiebreaker. Seven and a half grueling minutes led to an ultimate moment for Claymont freshman Tyler Warner, who gutted out an ultimate tiebreaker victory for the 106-pound championship at the state wrestling tournament Saturday at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center.

Seven and a half grueling minutes led to an ultimate moment for Claymont freshman Tyler Warner, who gutted out an ultimate tiebreaker victory for the 106-pound championship at the state wrestling tournament Saturday at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center.

Warner and Napoleon freshman Seth Beard were tied 1-1 after three two-minute periods.

They still were tied after a one-minute overtime and two 30-second sessions.

For the final 30 seconds, Warner had one task — start in the top position and end the period the same way.

The ultimate showdown. Ride your opponent out and win or allow an escape or reversal and lose.

“This is awesome,” said Warner, Claymont’s seventh state champion and first since 2009. “I’ve never been in something like that.

“I was scared, because we were the only ones left out there. Division I and Division II were done, and everybody was watching me.”

The match was scoreless after one period and Warner took a 1-0 lead when Beard was called for stalling twice. It evened up in the third period when, in the top position, Warner got two stalling calls.

Neither scored in a one-minute sudden-victory session with both wrestlers on their feet, and the same was true of the first two 30-second sessions. Warner was down in the first and nearly got a reversal and rode the second 30-second session from the top.

After a bit of debate, Warner took top for the ultimate 30 seconds.

“I think he wanted to go down, and 90 percent of the time, you do what the athlete wants,” said Claymont head coach Eric Toukonen. “It’s hard to go against them, because ultimately, they’re the ones that make it work. Tyler is an extremely hard worker, though, and I had no doubts he could do it.”

Beard tried to turn out of Warner’s grasp, leaving his legs exposed. Warner grabbed on and wouldn’t let go.

“He (Beard) got into a scramble situation, and that’s a bad situation to be in, because it uses up time,” Toukonen said.

“This feels amazing,” said Warner, who leapt into the arms of his brother, Kyle, who has a coaches seat on the floor. “I’ve said ever since sectionals that I was going to win this. I said after the districts that I had four matches to go, and here it is.

“I have to say, I couldn’t have done this without Cody Burcher, Dustin Warner, Drew Avery, Kollin (Clark). They help me prepare every day.”

Claymont’s last trip to the top of the podium was actually a double. Zach Garbrandt and Josh Jackson both won titles in 2009.

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Warner is the first freshman champion since Cody Garbrandt won in 2007.

It ended up being a solid day for Claymont. The Mustangs did not lose a match, going 6-0 in consolation and championship finals matches.

“This was a good day for us,” Toukonen said. “We had a good season and finished well.”

“Not me,” said Burcher, a two-time state runner-up who finished with a 46-3 record. “The coaches kept talking to me, telling me to finish third, because it would help my seeding next year and help score team points.”